Model Railroading > Genesis F7ABBA Units DCC Install Practices

In the process of installing DCC into a set of ABBA units. At the cost of $80.00 per Tsunami Decoder, are all four units equipped with Sound? Is it practical to install non sound and speed match? What is common practice?

Javier Cervantes
Castle Rock , CO

Both Soundtraxx (Tsunami) and ESU (Loksound) make matching non-sound decoders. Many put sound in the A units, and a matching non-sound (at a lower price) in the B units.

Barry Draper

A related question -
Do the non-DCC Genesis F7 units contain a mounting bracket/location for a built-in speaker? Anyone have a photo of a sound equipped Genesis F7 with the shell off to see where/how Athearn mounts the stock speaker?

Thanks,
Jeff

jridge Wrote:

> Do the non-DCC Genesis F7 units contain a mounting
> bracket/location for a built-in speaker?

Yes. The frame has a cutout / notch for the approx 1" round speaker and baffle. This is NOT the case with the original series F-units. This only came into being after Athearn started offering MRC sound and later the Tsunami sound.

KA7008 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jridge Wrote:
>
> > Do the non-DCC Genesis F7 units contain a
> mounting
> > bracket/location for a built-in speaker?
>
> Yes. The frame has a cutout / notch for the
> approx 1" round speaker and baffle. This is NOT
> the case with the original series F-units. This
> only came into being after Athearn started
> offering MRC sound and later the Tsunami sound.

s=
I have successfully installed small rectangular speakers in the rear of the older Genesis F units.

ATSF3751 Wrote:
> I have successfully installed small rectangular
> speakers in the rear of the older Genesis F units.

I'm glad to hear this. I have seven UP F3/F7 types, all early production that all need sound and decoders eventually. I did my remaining Stewart F3A-B-A set with Digitraxx basic decoders, but I am thinking of putting a few sound units into the Genesis units.

In response to the original poster, yes I have heard of a number of people putting the sound in one or two units of a set and using "silent" decoders for the others. On my small layout there can already be quite a din if I have a lot of sound units running. As they come thru my work bench I have been reducing the sound levels a bit. I can only imagine the cacophony that one would get from a full A-B-B-A set all with sound :-) I'll bet it is impressive though!

jridge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A related question -
> Do the non-DCC Genesis F7 units contain a mounting
> bracket/location for a built-in speaker? Anyone
> have a photo of a sound equipped Genesis F7 with
> the shell off to see where/how Athearn mounts the
> stock speaker?
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff

pic of the 2005 production

Erwin from Austria

---

Erwin- Thanks for posting this photo.

Where's the stock speaker mounting location in this photo?

jridge Wrote:

>
> Where's the stock speaker mounting location in
> this photo?

That photo is a non-sound frame. The newer ones have taken the notch to the rear of the unit (on the right side of the photo) and enlarged it a bit with a shallow rounded cutout for the 1" round speaker.

KA7008 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jridge Wrote:
>
> >
> > Where's the stock speaker mounting location in
> > this photo?
>
> That photo is a non-sound frame. The newer ones
> have taken the notch to the rear of the unit (on
> the right side of the photo) and enlarged it a bit
> with a shallow rounded cutout for the 1" round
> speaker.

Yes, it´s a non sound
Erwin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/14 15:39 by spandfecerwin.